armenia's prime minister face it faces pushback from the country's president over his demand to fire the country's top general that's as crowds continue to demand that the pm step down. plus in our look at some of the top stories of the week stockpiles of the astra zeneca covert vaccine go on used in europe amid questions over its effectiveness but it comes as the world health organization warns of a lack of shops in border nations. and donald trump makes his 1st public speech since leaving the white house saying he has no plans to create a new political party but hasn't ruled out running for president again in 2024.

2 am here in russia's capital and you're watching the weekly on our to international i'm donald quarter taking you through the past week's top stories welcome. a constitutional showdown is underway in armenia after the president rejected an order by the prime minister to give the country's top general the boot it comes as crowds in the capital continue to demand the p.m.'s resignation thousands took to the streets of yerevan for a 3rd day calling for the resignation of nichol pasha yon they're angry at his handling of last year's war with thousands by john which many view as a humiliating defeat of o. protests have been on and off since the war ended in november new demonstrations erupted on thursday when pasha yon defied a call by the military to resign and accuse the army of a coup attempt here's how the situation unfolded. the prime minister and the

government of army no longer able to make adequate decisions in this fateful and critical situation for the armenian people given the current situation the own forces of. the resumed nation of the prime minister and the government. you. might want to also. generals do your job god borders and the territorial integrity of armenia this is my order and no one can disobey today we're holding this rally and will finish all actions will sit down at the negotiating table with the opposition for consultations on elections both were are. already for cosies to seek and to both of them. and asked people in to square to go on the stand being the only of the scientific community top

politicians parties everyone is against nickel. we've made significant progress it has to quit he has betrayed the nation has to leave we've never had such a vile leader who treated us so badly we came to the square in the cool from our prime minister. stand with him to the end he must put an end to all this of course failing but this form of governmental transition is definitely not acceptable to me we came to see our prime minister of the republic square so the whole world knows that the people support him. her. right in the streets the office the teaching of the p.m.'s to make. because. it is to stand $24.00 seventh's and also they are preparing

for that and i bring firewood for him why. was it was that. anger has been brewing since november about a peace deal struck with azerbaijan over the disputed nagorno-karabakh region armenian saw the agreement as an embarrassing defeat and stormed the parliament building in your oven in response down of reported from there at the height of the crisis and outlined the trouble path that's led to what's happening now. this whole process that has been brewing for months because it all stems from manias and we're going to tax defeat in last year's war the armenian government the promise their people that they would come out victorious out of this clash with us there by john over the issue of this disputed region over the go in a cab out so when i was there by john and i mean you signed

a peace deal which russia effectively brokered it came poor mean eons for ordinary people as an absolute shock because according to that deal they had to concede like 2 thirds of the going to come back to azerbaijan and that when it sparked that's when people started to come out to the streets passionate he. try to just push the blame on something else and at a certain point it was almost like he was trying to blame the military to blame the soldiers for not doing enough he obviously he retracted that he later he said that he did mean that but that's when the bad blood between him and the military started because i've been there soldiers they did all they could they just they were overpowered militarily they were overpowered they had no response they had no answer to the drone problem because the drones they were just obliterating their positions which were absolutely not ready for you know their defense systems were not ready for that so that defeat and having to concede to. the territories which

are overwhelmingly populated by the ethnically armenian people that was absolutely devastating and through hasn't done enough to to do so back together the divisions in the armenian society just so back together to heal this woman this massive wall and cleared it does have a fair amount of support doesn't it i mean the call for supporters to come on to the streets and they did how much support does he have exactly and why is that support there given what you've just said judging from what i see right now it very much reminds me as to what was happening there back in october in november basically i did see thousands of people turn out against nicol passion and even back then but again every single taxi driver that i would talk to back then he would tell me something along the lines well i don't know i don't know why people are so angry like a lot of people do support the prime minister after all remember he came into power as the man of the streets so to speak he would like. with

a crowd he came as part of a revolution himself so really the streets and the public support is all that he has to legitimize him as as as the country's leader that's why he's kneejerk reaction to the statement by the military was to call in his supporters to gather in the. in the city center because this is what legitimizes him call passion and he's saying that it's an attempted military coup but again we haven't seen any military in the streets the general chief of staff he signed a letter along with some 40 other top officers generals they have called on him to resign but again they called on everybody to refrain from violence so to me it looks like the last world really the last warning literally the last warning to passion and it came as a complete surprise to passion and so he's trying to find this balance as to he doesn't want to be more hard core than he needs to be and he's trying to and it is

clear that he did not have a plan for this he's just he just reacting on the girl like something happens he reacts it's not it's not like he had a he had a contingency plan for that at least it doesn't look like he had one to me we discussed developments with the vice president of the country's national assembly along with an armenian lieutenant general who's a veteran of previous wars in the gorn of korra book. the provision in it for 30 years the military has been poorly managed in terms of equipment and maintenance this led to the army becoming weak and pushing on came to power without a team experience the prime minister was an absolute 0 in military affairs as well as in economics and politics and this management disorganization noncompliance with the mobilization plan the destruction of command and control systems and the dismissal of military officers all this led to the fact that the general staff lost all patience and demanded the supreme commander his resignation as he was

destroying the army to communion home. its post-war turbulence when the military makes political statements that can only be called a military coup the military must carry out its immediate task of protecting the borders of the republic politics is not a military matter our colleagues from other countries are emphasizing that this is unacceptable the prime minister has problems with a few military officials following the war and i must say the authorities and the prime minister are in control of the situation putting the blame on one person is wrong it's not fair and there are millions understand that and we all have a show of the blame. german chancellor's refusal to take the astra zeneca colbert vaccine has created many headlines this week bangalore merkel said it was due to her age and 66 years old and i do not belong to the group recommended for us to seneca the astra zeneca vaccines only approved in germany for people under 65 but

the chancellor statement is few is fueling more questions about the effectiveness of the shot it's led to reports of stockpiles of unused charts and columns as the world health organization warned that poorer countries are being left empty handed when it comes to any back scenes with more details here is peter all over. germany is facing a touch of cognitive dissonance when it comes to covert 19 vaccinations on the one hand politicians on the population are outraged at how slow the process of giving a vaccine to everyone in germany has been on the other hand vaccination centers like this one here in berlin at the old airport which only gives out the astra zeneca job well they've been struggling to get people to take up the offer that some sorts a line unused because not enough people enrolling or just not turning up for their appointment this is an absurd and unbearable situation as of last friday only 10 percent of the vaccines available had been administered the astra zeneca job is

only approved for use in under 60 five's in germany due to a lack of data on its effectiveness and older people it's being made available to health care staff but tales of reactions to the vaccine have seen some german states suspend its use. astra zeneca has been criticized because on the one hand it seems to be less effective than the messenger r.n.a. vaccines from beyond tech and moderna and on the other hand there have been reports of vaccine reactions both must continue to be well monitored is something quieter share there how can we do it to vaccine and then find out a couple weeks months later that it's maybe not as efficient it was as it was promised i think this shows that the way the european union has been managing this whole vaccine campaign it was not only by the professionals that were supposed to be making decisions in the 1st place i think this is something which is and now

it's backfiring of course we see a very small percentage of western europeans getting the vaccine it's angle of merkel spokesperson even had to put out a post on social media encouraging people to take the astra zeneca vaccine because there's a worry that the doses germany has could end up going to waste. astra zeneca succeed in c. and that it prevents many infections and protects against serious illnesses vaccination can save lives france has found itself in a similar position to germany when it comes to its citizens being unsure about the astra zeneca jab a general lack of vaccines across the european union added to growing fears about their safety i mean the 2 biggest eurozone economies germany and france vaccinated just 6 percent of their populations but the head of the world health organization wants rich countries to check before ordering more shots and made diet shortages in developing nations if there are no vaccines to buy moneys irrelevant

currently some high income countries are into contracts with vaccine manufacturers that undermine the deals that call vioxx hours in police and reduce the number of those come by now that we've got these vaccines people don't want them so what do we do with that and there's no better be oh of course if some kind of cheese feel safe with these vaccines in they want them in their family who should and should should have them or sell them more or get into that to the countries who can't have vaccines staying in it in. some or as some calls. refrigerated areas around the yours while a you nations that did the ring over whether or not to get one of the main vaccines that are on offer poorer nations are running the risk of having no doses of any vaccine at all peter all over r.t. berlin the director of health and care at the red cross says the consequences of

doses going unused could be dire. it leaves a nasty cold that we have hundreds of thousands of those effective and safe vaccine lying unused in the european countries when we have many else workers in the developing countries that are not getting any vaccine these are not only unethically is extremely sad because every vaccine that is not injected in the arm of a person is a potential death due to. the 19 so we really need to accelerate the distribution of vaccines and to do that one of the critical point. being means information and mistrust in not only in europe we have a lot of vaccine as you can see around the world and i think there is a lot of work to be done to make sure that people understand that getting a vaccine that has a 60 percent efficacy rate ease a great deal everybody should be going for that vaccine as long as the vaccine is

safe i think has been demonstrated that it will actually do so there's no reason why those people should be at the clearing and not taking a vaccine they're putting themselves and their communities at risk besides creating problems for the rest of the world still to come former president donald trump has broken his silence giving his 1st public address since joe biden entered office more on his future plans and politics right after a short break. join me every thursday on the alex simon show and i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics sports business i'm show business i'll see you then. so what we've got to do is identify the threats that we have it's crazy foundation

let it be an arms race in his own spearing dramatic development only i'm going to resist i don't see how that strategy will be successful very critical time time to sit down and talk. shows seem wrong. when all the rules just don't. let me. get to shape out these days become active. and engaged with equals betrayal. when something find themselves worlds apart we choose to look for common ground.

welcome back to the program while he was bound to be back in the spotlight before long donald trump says he will not launch a new political party and his 1st public speech since leaving the white house at this year's conservative political action conference we have the republican party it's going to. have a core i am not starting a new party. how we speak to do. this now when that bieber you're going to start a new party and let's divide our vote so that you can never win no we're not interested in. how to get more details we're joined live now by our 2 internationals new york correspondent caleb mop and caleb what else did trump say and what does it mean for us politics. well it's interesting that donald trump says he's not planning to start a new party because polls indicate that many of his supporters seem to think that that might be a good idea now ever donald trump began his speech at the conservative political

action conference by ruling that out and saying that he intends to keep fighting alongside the republican party and the reason he intends to do that is because the stakes are getting higher here's what he said we're in the middle of a historic struggle for america's future america's culture and america's institutions borders and most cherished principles our security our prosperity had our very identity as americans is at stake like perhaps at no other time so no matter how much the washington establishment and the powerful special interests may want to silence us let there be no doubt. we will be victorious and america will be stronger and greater than ever before now donald trump also said he plans to participate in the 2024 presidential election and that he

intends to win now furthermore according to the polls a majority of republicans say they would vote for him in 2024 donald trump remains very much of the face of the republican party despite the fact that there are some neo conservative elements in the party that don't approve of him overwhelmingly rank and file republicans say they like donald trump now in his remarks donald trump certainly took the new biden administration to task highlighting issues like immigration foreign policy and link of the pandemic here is some of what donald trump said about his successor. joe biden has had the most disastrous 1st month of any president in modern history that's true in just one short month we have gone from america 1st to america lest you think about it right america last though many have said that oh the trump years are behind us the country is

reunifying if one listens to the remarks of donald trump it seems pretty clear that he intends to remain active but he has a huge amount of support within the republican party and the divisions in the country the intense partisanship that we've seen over the last 4 years has not ended donald trump may no longer be the president but much of what led to his presidency will remain alive for the following 4 years as donald trump says he plans to run again. tax simplification that's kaleb mop and thank you very much. now everything from brand names to work relations are and even family ties are showing signs of breakdown as u.s. political divides begin to affect practically every section of society earlier in the week i took a deeper look at what's been happening. if you take joe biden's word at face value you might think political polarization in america is no big deal the nation is not

divided it's not nearly as divided as we make it out to be but if you take a look at what's actually going on in the streets well a different picture begins to appear. and according to the statistics your eyes are not deceiving you i think we're all aware of how political polarization has affected our elections and system of government but the impacts go far beyond the political arena it seems the facts contradict biden's feel good speeches about unity take the family the core structure of american society it's a real example of unity and something more important than political bickering with

that in mind check out what one republican senators family had to say about his decision to support trump's impeachment we all thought really just gusted with you it is now most embarrassing to us that we are related to you you've been bearish the kings and family name ok as a politician his family cannot get around political talk at the dinner table but divorces parents disowning their children this is happening in ordinary american families it's tough my husband is a trump has caused such strife they feel like i want to divorce i'm a registered republican who is now an independent who voted democrat my republican family however has dug in they think i'm the crazy one they were more shocked to find out i hated the tea than they were to hear i was also known as none of my family members talk to me i'm so sorry for anyone who's lost family over politics it has. you could see it in the workplace where playing politics can get you fired

and the spotlight of national news like the former what a burger employee who wore a black lives matter mask to the job it went ahead but that's the to a man in the in the south of there i don't know if you ever they don't think that he's going to think you probably shouldn't buy the wrong item either unless you want to incur the wrath of those who don't agree with you going to food for example is now being boycotted just because the boss praised donald trump so fora also under boycott because the company dropped its contract with a conservative beauty blogger who claims she was targeted for her political views and the head of my pillow is taking flak since he publicly supports the idea that the last presidential election was fraudulent the keyboard warriors have drawn their swords and retailers have even cut ties with the companies because of it so next time you think about buying a pillow think twice unless of course you want your family to fall apart. and other news medical industry lawyers say reported plans to make covert shots

mandatory for frontline health care workers in the u.k. could be illegal england's chief medical officer has already told health staff it's their duty to get vaccinated and the state run national health service is reportedly considering making it obligatory for certain employees and h.s. dr bob gill says some of his colleagues see it as an attack on their autonomy. the idea of making next a nation compulsory is very shortsighted you need to understand the damn if there has been done to the trust of the medical profession given the government already chaotic and much criticized handling of the endemic we've already lost a 1000 health and social. work force due to the pandemic people have been working exhaustingly long hours have witnessed tragic scenes and to attack their professional judgment and autonomy by making this compulsory i think is another straw to break the panel's back u.k.

medical chiefs say the number of covert patients has dropped and pressure on the health service is now easing but with that in mind dr gail believes mandatory an occupation could backfire if you make vaccination part of your terms of employment then what does a doctor do if if you risk losing their job losing the profession that they've studied and worked so hard for or they comply there's quite a big stick to beat the profession with i don't think anybody could argue against the evidence for vaccination and what the government should try to do is understand if there is significant reluctance why that is support those people provide the more information but not to coerce them it was a survey early on in the pandemic which showed the vast majority or doctors certainly felt that the government had completely missed and on the krone virus and demick and that confidence nothing has really happened to improve that confidence

in government for more details on the events unraveling in armenia make sure to check out our website r.t. dot com and follow us on twitter i'll be back with more of the weekly in just about 30 minutes and i hope to see you then. l. look forward to talking to you all. that technology should work for people. i robot must obey the orders given by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the 1st law show your identification for should be very careful about artificial intelligence and the point of view seen is to face transfer evidence here. in flames on areas chozen with artificial intelligence will summon the demon.

for obama's protect its own existence as. the british and american governments have often been accused of destroying lives in their own interests while you see in this these techniques is the state devising methods to him to essentially destroy the personality of an individual. by scientific means this is how one doctor's theories were allegedly used in psychological warfare against prisoners deemed a danger to the state that was the foundation for the method of psychological interrogation psychological courtroom the cia disseminated from within the us intelligence community and worldwide among our allies for the next 30 years and how the victims say they still live with the consequences today.

bomb. you. alone and welcome to worlds apart according to my guest today a world is undergoing crises of crises and if your speech on the news are scrolled through a social media feed that definitely seems to be the case although alpha says would be different depending on the country to produce those crises from polarization to power to from call the title to climate change do they have a common denominator or to discuss that i'm now in joined by it's a gate and i've got enough dean of the school of world economics and international

affairs at the higher school of economics and law school it's a good kind of benefits always a pleasure talking to you think you very much right at the now when western journalists reference you in their articles they usually describe your as hawkish or sometimes even belligerent but i think some of your recent thoughts could be taken as pure antidemocratic blasphemy for example you're right that democracy is now essentially or should be considered essentially a privilege i would even add a white privilege that only while of societies can afford how did you come to that conclusion it's not i think it's its own spur will it. be done or the acts of but this conscience democracy always dies it is one of the ways 1st of all it's one of the ways of a magic complex societies. it was born in and want to weigh as with as we know it in groups that. because. the.

republican republic of more easily one accuses french republic. that's been the it's been a long time ago since then we had a no i'm sorry and then i mean margins of liberal democracy and it's arrayed around the world then them let me write to that morris the liberal democracy brought about rick revolution because february. we had a liberal who was what evolution in favor of 70 and then we had 70 years of. to tell tara regime and germany i'm back to the 90 end of the cold war and they triumphed. historically then. just by chance europe didn't see.